Homeless attacks considered hate crime

March 25, 2009 5:46:23 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES --

Violence against the homeless in L.A. County will now be treated as a hate crime.The county Board of Supervisors has directed deputies, prosecutors and the county human relations commission to start tracking and reporting attacks against the homeless as hate crimes.

They're also adding homeless attacks to the hate crimes database and identifying what can be done to stop them.

In the past year, homeless victims have been set on fire, stabbed, beaten and shot to death.